She squeezed her eyes closed, tears sliding down her cheeks. “I don’t know what to do,” she said, and the tremor in her voice made my heart crack. “I’ve been over it in my head a hundred times, and every idea ends insomeone I love getting hurt. You could get hurt because of me, and I want to tell you everything, but Ican’t.”
“Shh.” I pulled her into my arms, holding her tight against my chest. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Can you help me understand what’s going on?”
“If I tell you about the deal, he’ll come after my family.”
Every protective instinct I possessed roared to life, and white-hot anger blazed through me. I wanted to kill whoever was responsible for Danielle’s tears. Someone was threatening her, and they were using her love for her family to do it.
“Who’she?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you.”
“Do your brothers know?” It hurt my pride to ask, but keeping Danielle safe was more important than proving that I could protect her without her family’s help. Especially since I had no idea who I was dealing with.
“No. I’m not allowed to tell them either.”
I forced myself to relax enough to smooth a hand over her hair, to comfort her, even though everything in me wanted to go after the nameless bastard who dared to threaten my wife. Danielle was my first priority. I needed her to know that I was here for her, that I wasn’t going anywhere. If she was going down, I was going with her.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured into my chest.
I wanted to tell her it would be okay or that she didn’t have to apologize, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t believe either of those statements. So I continued stroking her hair and holding her to me. Theonly thing I could do right now was try to show her that I loved her in sickness and in health, for better or worse.
“Are you hungry?” I asked after a while.
She shook her head.
“Come on. Let’s get you to bed.”
When she didn’t move, I scooped her into my arms and carried her up the stairs. I laid her on the bed and moved to the walk-in closet we now shared. A line of nightgowns hung in a row, and I selected a silky floor-length one with thin straps and no buttons.
Danielle didn’t look at me as I returned to her side. I honestly wasn’t sure she was seeing me as she stared at the covered windows across from the bed.
“I don’t want to lose you,” she whispered as I untied her shoes and slipped them off.
“You won’t,” I promised, kissing up her leg until I reached the garter at her thigh.
She slapped a hand over it. “Don’t.”
“I know.” I bypassed the fabric and continued kissing my way up to her panties, nipping at her pussy through the thin material.
“Hayden,” she moaned.
“Tell me what you want, Sunday School.”
“You.”
“I’m yours, baby. All yours.”
I undid the buttons on her skirt, letting it fall away before slowly peeling the top over her head. The sight of her naked in my bed would never get old. My eyes roved over every inch of bronzed skin. She was so soft and yet so strong.
“Take off the garter,” I said, my voice coming out rough and husky.
She obeyed, undoing the half-dozen eyelets in seconds. She tossed the thing I wasn’t allowed to touch on the floor somewhere beside the bed and reached for me.
I caught her hand in mine and brought her palm up to my mouth, never breaking eye contact.
